Lindsay and I saw The Lion King last night at Overture Center.

Awesome.

Incredible.

Magical.

Unforgettable.

I don’t want to build it up too much, but IT WAS SPECTACULAR!!  It’s hard to believe that a full-length animated film could be turned into a live stage musical. You don’t normally think of Broadway actors playing the roll of grass or trees, but it happened in this show.  You don’t picture a Broadway dancer playing the roll of a giraffe and making it look real, but it happened here.

There were plenty of younger kids in the audience sitting near us and they were mesmerized through the entire show and quite honestly so was I.

Go see The Lion King!

A new music festival is scheduled this summer in Milwaukee.  The Verge Music Festival is a two day alternative rock music festival scheduled for June 4 and 5 at Summerfest Grounds along the lake in Milwaukee.  The Verge lineup includes both local and national artists including Weezer, She & Him, Cold War Kids, Rogue Wave, Locksley, and more.

Here are some videos to tide you over until June 4-5.

She & Him “In The Sun”

Rogue Wave “Lake Michigan”

-Sam Ryan

Simon & Garfunkel Reschedule Kohl Center Show

• The scheduled May 9 Simon & Garfunkel Madison show has been postponed until July 14.  The rescheduling is due to Art Garfunkel suffering from a vocal strain following a string of shows.  more info

Neil Young Recording New Record with Producer Daniel Lanois

• Former bandmate David Crosby recently revealed that Neil Young has been in the studio working with producer Daniel Lanois, who is most well known for his previous work with U2 and Bob Dylan.  No official information regarding title, release date, or tracks has been released yet.  more info

Weezer Return as Indie, Plan Releases and Summer Shows

• Weezer made news this week when they decided to leave their long time record label Geffen.  Following this decision, Weezer also revealed they plan on releasing both a re-issue of their sophomore album Pinkerton along with a B-side record titled Odds and Ends.  Weezer is planning a summer speckled with festival dates across the country, including a June 5 appearance at the Verge Music Festival in Milwaukee.  More info about releases, more info about show dates

Sting to Hit the Road with a “Classical” Sound

• Sting has scheduled show dates across the country this summer and will be joined by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.  Sting will perform the usual Police hits but with a twist.  For a list of dates and more info, here is a link.

Lennon’s Original “A Day in the Life” Lyrics Up For Auction

• An original handwritten lyrics sheet of “A Day in the Life” is up for auction through Sotheby’s.  The estimated closing price for this piece of rock ‘n roll history is between $500,000 and $700,000.  more info

New Foo Fighters Album in the Works

• The Foo Fighters are in the process of recording a new album this year.  Leader Dave Groehl has reportedly written 15 songs and the band is in the early stages of recording these new tracks.  Neither a title or a release date have been reported yet.  more info

New Roots Album includes Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Joanna Newsom

• The Roots are scheduled to release a new album on June 8 titled How I Got Over.  Early details of the record reveal that Jim James of My Morning Jacket worked with the band on at least one track along with one track including Joanna Newsom.  more info

Mt. Desolation: A Collaborative Effort with Mumford & Sons, the Killers + more

• Members of the groups Keane, the Killers, Mumford and Sons, and Noah and the Whale have joined to record a new record that is set for a late 2010 release.  Mt. Desolation’s sound is considered “alternative country,” but few details regarding the band have been released.  more info

-Sam Ryan

     Rolling Stone magazine wants to send you to Bonnaroo!  They’re looking for the best photogs to capture all the excitement and action for the mag.  Send your awesome shot, of anything, in next week (May 3rd-8th).  Get all the details here.

You’ve seen the bumper stickers that say “Skateboarding is not a crime,” right? I’m not so sure that’s completely true…but I will say  that when the skateboarder is a bulldog…it’s overwhelmingly cute.

You can’t help but smile when you watch this video! I love when the dog is adorned with a Canadian flag. Canada pride? You bet your sweet dog biscuits!

I’ve heard so much about the musical version of The Lion King.  I remember enjoying the movie, but I’m still not sure how it will translate on the stage.  I’ve had several family and friends who have seen the production in New York City and Chicago.  Apparently, the production here at Overture Center is supposed to be just as good.

As you may know, I went to school here at the UW, but lived for several years in Houston before coming back here in 1999.  When I did return here, I was disappointed the city didn’t have many  “big city” theater productions.  Some shows would come, but they would only be here for two or three days and then be gone.

Now we have a “big city” production here in Madison.  It’s here for several weeks and it should be amazing.  I’ll let you know tomorrow if it’s really worth seeing.  My guess is YES.

I had a PR (personal record) at Crazylegs over the weekend- 35:53

I had actually set two goals for the race.

Crazylegs Goal: 40 minutes

Crazy Crazylegs Goal: 35 minutes

So I came really close to my Crazy Crazylegs goal!

This morning I went to the “Dailymile” website and everyone was sharing PRs, so I started thinking about mine and realized that I really don’t know most of them- I have a decent idea of the basic range, but I don’t really know exactly where I stand- as many people do.  So I put together my list, as best I could…

For the weekend of 4/30/10…..

1)Madison Audubon Society Art Fair, Saturday from 9:30-4:30 at the Warner Park Community Center. Free parking and admission!

2)Mighty Short Bus CD Release Party: Saturday at the High Noon Saloon, 10pm. Their new album is called The Forever Endeavor.

3)The Crickets at the Stoughton Opera House. Yes, those Crickets. The guys who used to play with Buddy Holly! 7:30pm Saturday.

Freaky Band Name of the Week: Huffin’ Glue, 5pm Friday at the UW Memorial Union Terrace. A country/alternative rock band from Madison. They say they get their name from the occupation of one of the band members–repairing shoes.

This just in – you can get Broken Bells’ MySpace Music “Transmissions” session, which includes four stripped-down versions of the band’s songs.

Download it

On March 23rd, Regina Spektor performed at a “Doctors Without Borders” benefit at New York’s Irving Plaza in an effort to raise money for the victims of the recent massive earthqaukes in Haiti.

During her performance, she covered “No Suprises” from Radiohead’s “OK Computer”.

Now she is getting double the bang for her buck with that performance, putting it on sale at iTunes, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting that same cause.

Here is where you can buy it